Mechanical stoker.



J. VAN VLECK.

MECHANICAL STOKER.

APPLICATIONHLED FEB.20,1915.

l 7 5 l l. 38%.. 4 Patented Aug. 24, 195.

fa [lll:

' EIGEN VAN VLEGK, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 LEWIS B. STILLWELL, OF

` LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY. i A

MEGHANICAL s'romn.

Specification of Letters` Patent.

Patented Aug. 2d, 1915!.

i To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN VAN Vinck, a citizen of the United States, residlng at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Stokers, of

v which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description.

p This inventionrelates to fuel-feeding and controlling mechanism for so-called mechanical stokers, andits chiefobject is, in general, to provide improved mechanism Vfor the purpose, whereby the supply of fresh fuell to the grate (usually of the traveling type) can be accurately `controlled and the v,thickness of the lire or bed of burning fuel i' can be accurately regulated.

A further'object is to afford quick and l convenientaccess to the re for slicing,

raking, and other manual operationsv desired.

Still another object 'is to improve certain details of the mechanism in the direction of greater durability and easier operation.

when

To these and other ends the invention conl sists in the novel features of construction and combinations of elements hereinafter 5 carried at its ends on two segment-shaped,

desired.

- Upon reading the ssubjoined description and claims it will be seen by persons skilled' in the art that the invention can be em.

for the purpose the embodiment which at the present time is considered to exhibit the invention in the most convenient and effec-l tive form. 'Ihis'embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- A Figure 1 is-a perspective view, and Fig. 2

is a detail of part of the mechanism foi' raising and lowering the gate which controls or determines the thickness of the bed vof fuel on the grate. l

The fuel, usually line anthracite or bitulminous coal, is supplied in any convenient manner, as by means of a chute 1,0, to a transverse hopper 11 arranged in front of the furnacemouth and having a width substantially co-extensive with the traveling grate 12. The hopper discharges upon a' pivotally mounted apron 13 (more fully de scribed hereinafter) and is provided with a pivotal valve or gate 14. rIhe latteris :the sides ofthe platform r`,25.

arms, one of which is shown at 15, fixed on a transverse rock-shaft 16 and mounted in suitable bearings 17 on the front of the hopper 11. As indicated, the contour of the gate, in vertical section, follows the arc of a circle whose center is the axis of the shaft 16, as do also the ends of the hopper at the discharge lmouth thereof, sothat a close lit without undue friction can be maintained between the parts when the gate is opened, closed or adjusted by suitable means providf ed for the purpose, as, for instance, a handlever 18 fixed to the end of the shaft 16. I have not shown means for positively holding the gate in an adjusted position, as devices for such purpose can readily be sup-- plied should they be found necessary.

The apron 13, over which the fuel flows to the grate 12, is pivoted transversely at its lower edge, as indicated at 19. The inclination of the apron materially affects the rate vof flow of Ithe-fuel, and for the purpose of varying this inclination the apron is provided at each side with an arm 20 connected by a chain 21 to a winding pulley 22, fixed on a transverse shaft 23, which is mounted in bearings on the supports 24: rising from Suitable means, asfor example a handwheel 26, is

Vprovided to actuate or control the shaft so that the apron can bearranged at any desired angle or-can be lowered to give access to the interiorv of the furnace. A pawl 27, mounted on one of the supports 24: and engaging a ratchet 28 on the shaft 23, is provided to hold the apron in position, and' is equipped with a handle 29 for convenient release when the apron is to be lowered.

The front portion of the apron, next to the fire,'ivs to be lfaced with brick or other suitable refractory materiall 30,?preferably in flat `blocks or slabs, and-` can be renewed when necessary or desirable, any convenient means (not shown) being employed to. fas-*1 ten the blocks or slabs in place.

The top of the furnace mouth is formed by an arch orlintel 31, of refractory material, for example firebrick, which Ais suspended from a transverse .T -beam 32 by means of L`shaped hangers 33 engaging the undercut slots '34. A face plate 35, removably fastened to the beam 32, 'as by means vof bolts 36, serves to hold the arch or lintel on the hangers and prevent forward displacement. The arch or lintel can be made in a single piece or in the form of blocks arranged side by side, as may Jbe most convenient. Y y

The thickness of the fuel 37 on the traveling grate 12 depends, at least in part, upon the position of the fuel-controlling or regulating gate 38 relative to the apron 13, that is, upon the space between the said gate and the apron. For they purpose of raising and lowering this gate it is carried on the ends of two arms 39 fulcrumed or pivoted loosely on the shaft 23, already described, and is suspended onthe ends of the vertical racks 40 meshing with pinions 41 fixed on the transverse shaft 42, which is mounted in suitable bearings, not shown. The shaft is preferably rotated manually, as for example by means of a handwheel 43 on a shaft 44 mounted'in bearings on one of the supports `raised or lowered. A. counterweight 50, at-

tached toa cable or chain 51 running over a pulley 52 to'a winding pulley 53 on shaft .42 serves as an eEective counterbalance for the gate.

As indicated in thel drawing, the face of the fuel-controlling or regulating gate 38 is convex, its curvature being on an" arc whose l center is the axis of shaft 23 about which the gate swings, and the coperating face of the lintel or arch 31 is concave and of about the same radius of curvature. rIhis is an important feature of the invention, as is also the pivotal movement of the gate in an arc of fixed radius as the gate is raised or lowered, since they enable an accurate'fit tobe obtained at all positions of the gate and permit the latter to move freely and easily with? out undue wear or stress on gate or lintel.

The bearings 57 for the shaft 23, on which the arms 39 are pivoted, are mounted' in l yokes 58 underneath the supports 24 and can l be adjusted forwardly, or 'rearwardly `by f shaft are equipped alike.

means of screws 59 to regulate the space between the gate 38 and the lintel or arch 31. Onlyone of the bearings is shown, but it\ will be understood that lboth ends of the rIhe gate 38, made of fire brick or other refractory material, is preferably composed `of blocks arranged side by side across the furnace, -as' shown, and each is provided'at I itsrear with an undercut boss 54 to interlocky with the carrier 55 to which the arms 39 are attached. rIhe blocks can then be slid later.-.

ally out of the carrier for removal and replacement, as will be readily understood, or the carrier-top 56, composed of sections bolt# ed to the lower portion, can be removed, and the gatesections lifted out vertically. It will be observed that,y the upper and lower portions of the gate-sections are alike, that is, the gate is symmetrical with respect to the central horizontal plane. rIhis is a valuable feature, for the reason that when the lower portion or edge becomes so badly worn as to require renewal, the gate, or the individual sections composing it, can be reversed in the carrier, thereby `turning the unworn edge downwardly and the worn or useless edge upwardly. In this way the effectivey life of the gate is practically doubled.

4As hereinbefore stated, the invention is not limited to the structure herein'specilically illustrated and described, but` can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

What I claim is:

1. In a mechanical stoker, the combination i' with a furnace having a grate and a mouth for the supply of fuel to the grate, of a fueldelivery hopper, an inclined apron arranged to receive fuel from the hopper and deliver the same to the furnace mouth and pivoted at its lower edge adjacent to the grate, and means for varying the inclination of the apron.

2. In aumechanical Stoker, the combination` i of a grate, a fuel-delivery hopper, an inclined apron extending between the hopper and the grate todeliver fuel to the latter from the former, pivotal supporting means for the apron at the lower edge thereof adjacent to the grate, and mechanism for raising and lowering the apron on said pivotal supporting means to vary the inclination of y the apron.

- 3. In a mechanicall Stoker, the combination with a furnace having a grate and a mouth for the supply of fuel to the grate, of a transverse apron extending forwardly and downwardly to the furnace mouth for supplying fuel thereto and pivotally supported at its lower edge adjacent to the furnace mouth, whereby the inclination ofthe apron` and in consequence the rate of delivery of -v the fuel to the grate can be varied, a transverse shaft in rear of the apron, winding pulleys on the shaft, chains wound' o the pulleys and connected with the apron, means to rotate the shaft, a ratchet on the shaft, and a manually releasable p'awl engaging the ratchet to hold the shaft and the apron Stationary.

4. Ina mechanical stoker, the combination lwith a furnace having 'a grate and a mouth for the supply of fuel to the grate, of an in-A furnace mouth'. and pivotally mounted near its lower edge, ai fuel hopper having an outlclined apron arranged Ito deliver fuel tothe mamas let to discharge fuel upon the apron, means operable at will to close the hopper outlet, a pivotally mounted gate extending across the furnace mouth, and devices for raising the gate and lowering the apron on their pivotal Supports to give access to the grate.

v5. In a mechanical Stoker, the combination with a furnace having a grate and a mouth for the supply of fuel to the grate, of an in.- clined apron arranged to deliver fuel to the furnace mouth and pivotally mounted near its lower edge, a pivotally mounted gate extending across the furnace mouth above the apron, and devices for raising the gate and lowering .the apron on their pivoted supports to give access to the grate.

6. In a mechanical stoker,the combination with a furnace having avmouth, and a traveling grate moving from the mouth, of an inapron, and means to raise and lower the gate.

to vary the fuel-admitting area between the apron and the gate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN VAN VLECK.

' Witnesses:

HAROLD E. LOMBARD, FRANK J. NEWMAN. 

